Charm Sciences Receives USDA GIPSA Approval for its ROSA® Fumonisin Quantitative Test Kit for Feed and Grain

Charm Sciences, Inc. is pleased to announce that its ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative test kit is the first lateral flow quantitative test to be approved for official testing of fumonisin in the U.S national grain inspection system (Certificate No. FGIS 2009-102).

Charm's ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative test is the fastest test for fumonisin available - 10-minute assay time. The ROSA Fumonisin kit delivers fast, economical, accurate fumonisin detection in a convenient single strip. Quantitative readings and a detection range from 0 to 6 ppm provide the flexibility to meet both domestic and export requirements.

The ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative kit is the 10th Charm mycotoxin test to receive approval from United States Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Association (GIPSA). Speed, simplicity and sensitivity make Charm Rapid One Step Assay (ROSA) technology the de facto standard for mycotoxin detection. All ROSA mycotoxin tests can be run on the same equipment and follow a similar assay format, providing an efficient and economical way to detect and quantify mycotoxins in feed and grain.

"The Charm ROSA Fumonisin Quantitative Test helps ensure the safety of the food chain by enabling growers, processors and regulators to validate that grain and feed conform to specified or recommended limits for fumonisin," said Mark Tess, Mycotoxin Product Manager at Charm Sciences.

Fumonisins (FB1, FB2, and FB3) are produced by naturally occurring Fusarium molds, including F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum. These toxins have been implicated as possible causes of human esophageal cancer, equine leukoencephalomalacia - a serious disease in horses, toxic feed syndrome in poultry, and pulmonary edema in swine.

Charm Sciences is the world leader in food and feed safety diagnostic tests. Charm Sciences continues its 31 year history of providing unique food safety solutions to maximize brand protection, quality and value to the manufacturer and the consumer. Introduced in 1999, Charm's ROSA lateral flow tests are the leading residue diagnostic tests employed by the food and grain industry worldwide.